belonging to or connected with the person who is speaking or writing
I lost my keys on the way home.
This is my favorite movie of all time.
✦ Old English mīn (‘my, mine’), the possessive form of ‘I’; later shortened to ‘my’ before consonants.
used to show surprise, pleasure, or mild shock
“My! What a beautiful garden you have,” she exclaimed.
My—I didn’t expect the train to be this crowded.
✦ Shortening of longer exclamations like “my God!” or “my goodness!” dating from the 18th century as a mild oath avoiding direct mention of deity.
the person who is speaking or writing, used as the subject of a verb
I love reading books before bed.
If I finish my work early, we can go to the park.
the object form of “I”; used when the speaker is the object of a verb or preposition, or after the verb “be” to identify the speaker
Could you help me with this box?
The teacher looked at me and smiled.
✦ Old English “mē”, accusative and dative form of “ic” (I), from Proto-Germanic *meke.
informal British: used in place of “me”, referring only to the speaker as the object of a verb or preposition
Give us a chance to explain before you decide.
Lend us your phone for a moment, mate.
✦ Extended from the standard object pronoun through dialectal speech patterns in British English.
